And wilhblm hees



W. WITTIG & W. HEES.

G asf Engine.

No; 225,718. Patented Mar. 23, I880.

[we/jaw N,FETER$. PHOml-ITHOGHAPHER, WASHINGTON. D, C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILHELM VVITTIG AND WILHELM HEES, OF HANOVER, PRUSSIA, GERMAN EMPIRE.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Application filed To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILHELM \VITTIG and WILHELM HEEs, of Hanover, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a new and Improved Gas-Engine, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in engines which are driven by explosive gases or vapors; and the object of the invention is to compress the gas or vapor in one of two cylinders under the working-piston just previous to the introduction and explosion of the gases or vapors in another cylinder.

The invention consists of an engine provided with two cylinders, in one of which is the working-piston, and in the other cylinder is the suction-piston, which also serves as a compressing-piston and to drive the gas or vapor drawn into its cylinder out from said cylinder into the cylinder of the working-piston.

The invention also consists of a valve placed in the passage between the two cylinders which is adapted to open as the pistons descend to allow the gas or vapor to be driven into the cylinder under the working-piston, and then to close just before the end of the downstroke, so as to confine the gas or vapor within the cylinder before the explosion.

The invention also consists of other details of improvement, which are hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of our improved gasengine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the engine, taken on line 0 c of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, A is the base of our improved engine, and B is the frame rising from the base A, and supporting in suitable bearings the shaft (3, provided with the cranks s t. a h are two cylinders placed uprightly side by side on the base A. In the cylinder at is the suction and compression piston r, which is connected with the crank it by a connecting-rod, b, and in the cylinder h is a working piston, 1, which is connected with the crank s by a connecting-rod, 1). Both cranks s t stand in the same direction, so that the pistons r r reciprocate together. The cylinder a is shorter than the cylinder h, so that when Patent No. 225,778, dated March 23, 1880.

December 11, 1879.

the piston 1" reaches the bottom (1 of the cylinder a at the end of its stroke, the piston 1, which has the same length of stroke as piston r, is some distance from the bottom (1 of its cylinder, so that at the end of the stroke of the piston 'r' a space, h, is left between it and the bottom d of its cylinder.

0 is a port leading through the side of cylinder a near the bottom of said cylinder. Through the port 6, which may be provided with an entrance, f, for gas, and a similar entrance, f for air, the gas and air are drawn into cylinder a, and said port is provided with a puppet check-valve, b, which is opened by the upward movement of piston 1*, during which movement the said piston draws the gas and air through the port 6 into the cylinder a, and said valve is closed by thedownward movement of said piston.

A'passage, 9, leads from the bottom d of the cylinder at to a chamber, '5, provided with a valve, 0. The rod j of valve 0 passes up through the guides It, and on its upper end is a friction-wheel, which bears against the face of a cam, l, on shaft 0. Between the wheel k and the upper guide, is, through which the valve-rod j is passed, a spiral spring, m, is wrapped around the rod, j. When the shaft (J is in motion the cam l forces the valve 0 down and off its seat just before the pistons r r reach the end of the downward stroke, and at the termination of the said stroke the cam relieves the valve-rod j, and the spring m throws the rod up and the valve 6 into its seat, and thereby closes the exit from valve-chamber i. From valve 0 a passage, m, leads to a puppetvalve, f, and through puppet-valve f communication is had with a passage, n, that leads through the bottom d into the cylinder h.

The mixture of gas and atmospheric air is drawn by the upward movement of piston 1 through the port 0 into the cylinder at, under the piston a". On the downward stroke the piston r compresses the mixture of gas and air below it in the bottom of the cylinder a, and just before the end of this downward stroke the cam Z, acting on the rod j, opens the valve 0, and the mixed gas and air is forced from the cylinder a through the passage g, the valvechamber i, and thence by the open valve 0 into the passage m, where the gas, forces up the puppet-valve f and passes into the passage 02, and thence into the cylinder h. When the piston 1' reaches the bottom dot the cylinder at at the end of its stroke all of the gas and air is expelled from cylinder a, and at the same moment the cam Zrelieves the valve-rod j from pressure, and the valve 0 is closed by the spiral spring m. At the instant of the termination of the stroke the mixture of gas and air, which is compressed in the space h under the piston r, is exploded bya spark generated in a suitable manner and delivered into the cylinder h through the opening 1, and the force generated for giving the upward stroke to pis tons r r thereby obtained. The puppet-valve f is closed by the pressure exerted upon it by the explosion of the gas in the cylinder h,- hence no back action can take place. Immediately after the explosion, the gases of combustion escaping, the vacuum beneath piston r causes the downward movement, which is aided by the action of a suitable fly-wheel on shaft 0.

The exhaust-port for the gases of combustion is shown at i. Said port leads through the side'of cylinder h at or near the bottom c7 and outside of the cylinder h. Said port i leads into a chamber, i and in the chamber i is seated a valve, 0, which serves to close the exit from the chamber 41 The rod 19 of valve 0 is held in guides q, and its upper end, q, bears against the face of the cam D on shaft (J. A spiral spring, 7;, is wrapped around the rod 19, and the lower end of said spring bears against the guide q, while the upper end bears against a collar, 1;, on the rod 12. By the upward pressure of the spring '12 against the collar 1) the valve 0 is held in its seat 00 in chamber i and the cam D, acting against the rod 1), forces the "alve 0 down ofi' its seat. The adjustment of the valve 0 is such that immediately after the upward movement of the piston carries the cranks over the deadcenter the cam D acts against the rod 1) for an instant and forces the valve 0 away from its seat, thereby allowing the gases of combustion to escape from under the piston 0". When the valve-rod is relieved of the momentary pressure of the cam D the spring o acts, and the valve 0 closes quickly, so that a partial vacuum is produced under the piston r and the downward stroke produced, as before mentioned.

If hydrocarbon oil is to be used instead of gas to produce an explosive mixture, the bottom of valve-chamberi is provided with an injecting-aperture, a, leading from a valvechamber, a, in which is a valve, it. An aperture, w, leads through a neck, E, into valvechamber a, and said neck E is adapted to be connected with a pipe leading from a suitable oil-receptacle.

When the liquid is to be used the gas-connection f with the entrance-port c is closed, so that air alone is permitted to enter cylinder to through port (2, while liquid is supplied through channel g. By the suction of the piston r the valve w is raised off its seat and the oil is drawn through the aperture 10 around valve in, and passes thence through the narrow aperture to, entering the chamber 11 in form of a fine spray, and from said chamber it is drawn through the passage 9 into the cylinder a beneath the piston 4". At the same time, atmospheric air is drawn through port 0 into the cylinder at and mingled with the oil-spray in said cylinder. On the downward stroke of piston r the compression of the spray and air generates heat and converts the spray into a vapor, which, mingled with the atmospheric air, constitutes an explosive gas. This gas is driven by the piston r, onits downward movement from the cylinder to, through the passage g into the chamber 7;, (the "alve w having been closed by the downward pressure,) and as soon as the valve 0 is opened in the manner heretofore described the explosive gas is expelled from the chamber i, through passages m a, into the cylinder h, under the piston r, and is then exploded as before.

We claim 1. The cylinder a, having port 6, below the compression-piston r, in combination with the cylinder h and working piston r, (the bottom of said cylinder h being below the bottom of cylinder a, so that on the downstroke a space, h, is left under piston r for the reception of the explosive gases,) suitable passages connecting the said cylinders a h, and suitable valves being in said passages, which work in obedience to the movements of the pistons to first compress the air and then conveyit from one cylinder to the other, substantially as specified.

2. The valve 0, arranged to be operated by the earn 1 on the shaft 0, and the spring on, to open and close the exit from the chamber 1' into the passage m, in combination with the cylinders a h, the pistons r 1', connected with the cranks t s, and the passage 9, valve-chamber i, passage m, valve f, and passage a, as and for the purpose substantially as described.

8. In combination with the cylinder h, provided with the exhaust-port 1L and piston r, the valve 0, provided with a rod, p, and the spring 11 and cam D on shaft 0, as and for the purpose substantially as described.

4. The cylinder h, so arranged that when the piston 1" reaches the end of its downward stroke a space, h, is left between the said piston and the bottom of the cylinder, in combination with the shorter cylinder, to, constructed as described, and suitable passages and valves interposed between said cylinders, and the exhaust and entrance ports a i, provided with suitable valves, substantially as described.

This specification signed by us this the 5th day of September, 1879.

. XVILHELM \VITTIG.

VILHELM HEES. Witnesses:

J. M. SIMON, ()r'ro DAUSSON. 

